My Family of Friends

This week my little brother went up to Bemidji to register for his first year of college. As I drove the familiar roads to my of favorite places in the world, I was over-whelmed with memories of my time there. My family has vacations up near that area for many years and Bemidji State University of my top pick of schools when I graduated.

For me high school was just okay, it wasn't bad but it wasn't the best years of my life like many people claim. I was excited to go off to college. It was a time to prove to myself and other people in my life that I had grown up and could start to do things on my own. Bemidji was far enough away from the Twin Cities that I couldn't come running home each weekend, but close enough that I could come home when I wanted.

Leaving home and living on my own for the first time in my life was a scary yet exhilarating experience. As many of you know, I am very close to my mom and depend on her support and inspiration. But, I was very lucky to meet a group of girls who became my support as well as my life long friends...we dubbed ourselves "The Herd."

These eight girls became my family. They became the people I turned too with my immediate family 300 miles away. They were with me through one of my most important years of my life. They were with me through tears, frustration and doubts about my abilities to make it through my freshmen year of college. Most importantly they were with me throughout the year that shaped me to become the person I am today.

My best memories from that year involve these girls. Midnight swimming in Lake Bemidji, going out Friday and Saturday nights, tequila rollerblading through Bemidji, meeting all the cute college boys, eating at Perkins at one o'clock in the morning, hanging (partying) out in the dorms, our Spring Break trip to Canada, road trips to Grand Forks, Fargo and St. Cloud, midnight trips to WalMart, keggers out in the middle of nowhere.

There girls became my life long friends. We are now spread throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. We do not get to see each other every often, but when we do we fall right back into our friendships. I know each and everyone of them would be there if I needed them to be. And I would do the same for them. Long live "The Herd."

Restaurant File - Twisted Fork Grille

So my mom and I were driving down Grand Ave the other day and saw a new restaurant on Grand and Hamline....okay it could be a few years old but it was new to me! It is in the same building on The Green Mill and it is called Twisted Fork Grille. So I decided to try it out one night...and then again the next day!

So my first experience was dinner with my friend Erin. We met on a week-day night and were able to get a table right away without a reservation. The menu is mostly American bistro food, such as a Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, Warm Turkey Sandwich with Cranberry Chutney, Bison Meatloaf, and Walleye with Rice Cakes. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

My friend Erin and I both ended up ordering the same entree. We had the Chicken with Mushroom Risotto. It was described in the menu as a, "natural Amish roasted chicken with wild mushroom risotto and a tomato-garlic broth. Served with grilled asparagus." I like ordering risotto at restaurants because when I make it at home it usually ends up too thick or too loose. I was a little hesitant about the tomato-garlic broth, but is was very good addition to the meal. And I am not a huge chicken person (I would take a nice steak over chicken any day), but is was cooked perfectly. For dessert we both ordered the Lavender Creme Brulee which comes with almond cookies. And it was AMAZING! I really need to get my own little kitchen blow torch so I can start trying to make this at home.

So the next day I was out running errands with my mom and our friend Rosann when we decided to grab some appetizers and dessert. They wanted to try out Twisted Fork after I had told them about the creme brulee. We ended up splitting the Caramalized Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Spinach Artichoke Dip. Even it you think you don't like Brussels sprouts by caramelizing them in butter and serving them with bacon they become delicious. The Spinach Artichoke Dip is make with garlic, onion, cream cheese and spinach and served with a baguette. Both appetizers were very good and the others on the menu looked just as delicious.

I would definitely recommend you try out the Twisted Fork Grille. It is a nice addition to the Grand area restaurants. They have a daily happy hour from 3-5 and 9-close, at that time they serve half-priced apps, tap beer and wine. It is moderately priced, but the food is worth the price.

Twisted Fork Grille
Corner of Grand and Hamline Avenues
http://twistedforkgrille.com/index.php

Recipe Box - Veggie Tomato Soup

This is the recipe I get the most requests. I adapted it from a Rachael Ray recipe, but put my own twist on it. I hope you enjoy!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carton portebello mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen green beans
1/2 cup quick-cooking barley

1. On large soup pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and crushed red pepper; cook for 5-7 minutes. Add carrots cook another 3 minutes, add zucchini cook another 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and basil and cook until tender.

2. Turn hear to medium-high and stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring soup to a boil.

3. Add frozen green beans to soup and bring back up to a boil. Add in barley and cook for ten minutes.

4. Serve. I usually sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and serve with some sort of crusty bread.

Restaurant File - Jensen's Cafe

When I was younger I did not like breakfast foods. As I have gotten older I have found I to enjoy certain foods for breakfast. I am still not a cereal and scrambled egg eater but I have found I really enjoy waffles, pancakes and Eggs Benedict.

Let me start by telling you that I love Eggs Benedict, well actually I love hollandaise sauce and would eat anything covered in it! So usually when I go out for breakfast I end up ordering Eggs Benedict and my trip to Jensen's Cafe was no exception. Many restaurants have multiple types of Benedict and at Jensen's Cafe you can order regular, chipolte, Florentine with tomato and spinach, salmon with dill hollandaise, steak with chipolte sauce, and Montreal with sausage patties and sausage gravy. Seriously! So many choices, it took me forever to choose. I finally decided on the chipolte Benedict, which is like the regular but with a chipolte hollandaise sauce. And the best part about Jensen's Benedict...? Instead of coming on an English muffin, they serve it on top of mini pancakes. At first I thought this would be gross, but the sweet pancakes with the salty sauce was amazing.

My friend Laura who went with me ordered the Garden Ome-Alot, and it was actually an Ome-Alot. It was one the the biggest and fluffiest omelets I have seen at any restaurant. She seemed very happy with her choice.

Most breakfasts come with a side of breakfast potatoes, which are diced, seasoned red potatoes. You can substitute cheesy hash browns or fruit for 99 cents. I chose the cheesy hash browns and they were the best I have had for awhile. Laura said she really liked the breakfast potatoes.

The breakfast menu is quite extensive. There are a wide variety of pancakes, waffles, omelets, egg dishes and plenty of side and a la carte options. The daytime menu also offers lunch options.

We went on a Sunday about 11 in the morning. It was about a twenty minutes wait for a table. But, there is a gift shop attached so you do have something to do while you wait. Overall, I found Jensen's Cafe to be a fun bunch option.

Jensen's Cafe - 12750 Nicollet Ave. S. Burnsville, MN

Recipe Box - Cornbread and Beef Skillet Pie

Tried this out for the first time Wednesday night and it was a hit with the whole family (even Sam!).

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 T olive oil
2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
1 medium red onion
1 package (10 ounces) white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped (this was not in the original recipe, but I added it)
1 1/2 pound(s) ground sirloin
1/4 cup tomato paste
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside.

2. In large ovenproof skillet (I used a dutch oven) heat oil over medium heat. Add peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Cook until tender, about 6-8 minutes, tossing occasionally; season with salt and pepper.

3. Raise heat to high; add sirloin and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until meat is no longer pink about 3-5 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons flour and 2/3 cup water (or beef broth, which is what I used); season with salt and pepper.

4. Make cornmeal batter. Add sour cream and egg to reserved cornmeal mixture; stir just until moistened. Drop tablespoons over beef mixture in skillet, 1 inch apart. Bake until biscuits are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

Adapted from Delish.com

2011 Academy Awards - My Best and Worst Dressed

Yea! It's that time of the year again....The Academy Awards. It's like the Superbowl of fashion. I watch the red carpet and telecast every year with my mom. One year when I was still in college, she drove up to Bemidji, brought Chinese food from Wong's Kitchen and stayed over in my dorm room to watch with me...isn't she the best! We like to sit in our living room, eating fatty food and drinking fake champagne and pass judgement on what the stars are wearing. So here are my picks for best and worst dress this year.

Best Dressed:

1. Jennifer Lawrence in Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein. One word: FLAWLESS! The whole look is very minimal and I think that is why I like it so much. She doesn't over-do the hair and jewelry and looks perfect for her first Oscar appearance.
2. Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana. This lovely plum color was perfect with her skin coloring. I love the form fitting style, the bare back, and the lace overlays. That being said, she could have done something with her hair, or at least brushed it!
3. Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa. Seriously, how cute is she? Can you imagine being nominated for an Academy Award at fourteen? She is just undeniably cute and so age-appropriate in this beautiful pink gown.
4. Mila Kunis in Elie Saab. Mila is just stunning, she is my girl crush. This lavender gown was the perfect choice for the award show. The dress was romantic, yet sexy at the same time.
5. Reese Witherspoon in Armani Prive. I love Reese's entire look because it reminds me of my all time favorite look which is Julie Roberts in vintage Valentino at the 2001 Academy Awards. The black and white dress, the high 60's pony-tail.....just flawless.

Worst Dressed:

1. Nicole Kidman in Christian Dior. I always look forward to seeing what Nicole Kidman is going to be wearing on the red carpet, but this year was a let down. The dress is a beautiful work of art, but I don't think it was the best choice for the Oscars.
2. Marisa Tomie in vintage Charles James. I love vintage dresses on the red carpet, but Marisa's dress just didn't work for me. The straps were awkward and the top didn't seem to match the bottom.
3. Florence Welch in Valentino. I really wanted to like this dress, but I just couldn't. The color was all wrong on her and it didn't seem grand enough for the Academy Awards.
4. Mandy Moore in Monique Lhuillier. Okay, I have to admit that I am probably biased about this look because for some reason I can't stand Mandy Moore. She reminds me of that girl in high school who thought she knew everything about everything and acts like she is above everyone else. That said, I do feel the dress washes her out and it is to too similar to the Monique Lhuillier she wore to the Golden Globes this year.
5. Sharon Stone in Christian Dior. Just, no Sharon Stone. Please go back to the Gap t-shirt under the Valentino suit. Sometimes simpler is better.

Twenty-Somethings and Politics

Recently I was having a lively political discussion with someone around my parents age and they said to me, "you are too young, you just don't understand." At the time I let the comment roll by, but later the more I thought about it the more the comment made me angry. Yes, I am young but that doesn't mean I don't know or understand what is going on in the political world. I have found that many twenty-somethings feel this way, regardless of political affiliation. While we may not have the same experience as the older adults in our life's, we have had our own and from those experience we shaped our political beliefs.

I consider myself a liberal. Many people assume this is my political affiliation because of my parents and my upbringing. This may be true to an extent, but it is not the only thing that has gone into my political decisions. My undergraduate minor was Political Science, I have had the opportunity to have professors from both sides of the political spectrum and through my education I have found that I lean more towards the left. I didn't pick to be a liberal because I thought is was in or the cool thing to do, I choose to be a liberal because my core values fall closer with that group. I have friends and family who come from all areas of the spectrum and I respect each and everyone of their beliefes and I know they respect mine.

So my message to the older generation....you may have more life experience than us twenty-somethings but please do not talk down to us when it comes to politics. Many of us have done our research and we understand what is going in the political world.